The Stroop test is one of the most famous tasks in cognitive psychology. It shows how hard it can be to override an automatic response when it conflicts with what you’re supposed to do.
Our online version, the Stroop Test, lets you experience this conflict directly in your browser.
1. The basic Stroop effect
In a typical Stroop task you see colour words (RED, BLUE, GREEN) printed in coloured ink. Your job is to name the ink colour, not the word.
When the word and colour match (“RED” in red ink), responses are relatively fast. When they conflict (“RED” in green ink), responses slow down and errors increase. This slowdown is called the Stroop effect.
2. Automatic vs controlled processing
For skilled readers, recognising words is almost automatic: it happens quickly and with little effort. Naming ink colours is less practised and needs more control.
On incongruent trials, the automatic reading response clashes with the instructed colour-naming response. Executive control systems must suppress the automatic tendency and enforce the task rule.
3. Brain networks involved
Many neuroimaging studies of Stroop-like tasks highlight two key players:
- Anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) – monitors conflict and signals when increased control is needed.
- Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) – helps maintain task rules and bias processing towards the relevant feature (the ink colour).
The exact activation patterns vary, but the idea of “conflict detection + control recruitment” is robust.
4. What your Stroop performance can and cannot tell you
Your Stroop results reflect a mix of:
- How quickly you can process colours and words.
- How strongly reading interferes with colour naming.
- Your ability to keep rules in mind under time pressure.
They are not a direct measure of intelligence, willpower or character. Many highly capable people show a strong Stroop effect — that is the whole point of the paradigm.
5. Everyday parallels
Situations similar to the Stroop conflict appear when you:
- Try not to check your phone during a meeting.
- Follow a new procedure instead of an old habit at work.
- Resist clicking on a tempting link while concentrating on a task.
In each case, an automatic impulse competes with a chosen goal, and executive control has to keep the goal active.
6. Using the Stroop test meaningfully
Our Stroop implementation gives you a quick way to see how interference affects your speed and accuracy. It can be interesting to observe how your performance changes with sleep, stress or practice.
But the test is only one small, artificial snapshot of control. Real life is far more complex, and no single score can summarise your self-control or attention abilities.
This article is educational only and is not meant to diagnose any condition. If you have concerns about your attention, self-control or functioning in daily life, consider speaking with a qualified professional.